Elevated railroad



(No Model.)

E. D. WILSON.

f BLBVATED RAILROAD. Y A

No. 471,452. Patented Mar. 22, 1892.

/ea am TTOHNEYS PATENT ELBERT D. VILSON, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

ELEVATED RAILROAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 471,452, dated March 22, 1892.

` Application filed May 5, 1891. Serial No. 391,616. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, ELBERT D. WILSON, of Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented a new and Improved Elevated Road, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

rlhe object of the invention is to provide a new and improved elevated road which is simple and durable in construction, can be cheaply manufactured, and its cars propelled by a suitable power located in the car or by hand.

The invention consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the same, as will be hereinafter fully described, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in whichv similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a side elevation of the improvement. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same.

The improved elevated road is provided with one or two cables A,supported by suitable brackets or arms B, projecting from the upper ends of the posts O,set into the ground on the proposed route. On each of the cables A and on top of the same are adapted to travel the grooved wheels or pulleys D and E, of which the wheel D is the driver and is j ournaled in a frame F, preferably formed by two side bars or plates connected with each other at their ends. The wheel E is journaled in a fork G, provided with a pin G, journaled in suitable bearings on the rear end of the frame F. On the frame F and near its middle is secured a rod H, which extends downward and has its lower part arranged vertically below the cable A, as is plainly indicated in Fig. 2. On the lower end of this rod I-I is supported a car I of suitable size and dimensions and having its bottom extending above the ground of the proposed route. By arranging the rod I-I and car I as described the weight of the latter is directly vertical on. the cable A, so that the car is well balanced and sidewise motion is prevented.

On the shaft D of the driving-wheel D is secured a gear-wheel J, adapted to be actuated either by a suitable electric motor, as

, hereinafter more fully described, or the said l wheel is actuated by hand by the person occupying the car. For this purpose the gearwheel J is engaged by a spring-pressed pawl K, pivoted on a lever L, journaled loosely on the shaft D', the said lever extending through a slot in the top ofthe car I into the latter to connect with a bell-crank lever N,adapted to be moved forward and backward by the operator or passenger, so that a swinging motion is imparted tothe lever L, and by the spring-pressed pawl K the gear-wheel ,l is rotated, thus revolving the wheel D, and thereby propelling the car on the cable A.

In order to drive the wheel D by a' motor, a

pinion J meshes into the gear-wheel J and is mounted to turn ona stud J2, held on the frame F. On one face of the pinion J is arranged a gear-wheel J 3, in mesh with a second pinion J 4, fastened on the driving-shaft of the electrical motor O, of any approved construction, held on the frame F and controlled by suitable mechanism located in the car I, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l. From the ends of the frame F project inwardly the hooks F and F2, adapted to hook upon the cable A in case either or both of the wheels D and E should jump the said cable.

In order to prevent the wheels D and E from slipping on the cable, they may be lined in their grooves with rubber or other suitable material. When a car is suspended on the cable A, as described, and the passenger or passengers are seated in the car I, then the motor O is set in motion,so that a rotarymotion is given to its driving-wheel, which by the train of .gear-wheels J4, J 3, J and J imparts a rotary motion to the wheel D, so that the latter travels forward on the suspended cable A, thus propelling the car. As previ- .ously stated, the forward motion may be accomplished by the operator working the bellcrank lever N in the manner described.

An elevated road of this description is very simple and durable in construction, can be l easily extended over any desired route, the posts C being made longer or shorter, according to the nature of the ground over which the road passes, so that the cable A is as level as possible. The rear wheel E has its fork journaled in the frame F, so that the said wheel will readily follow the cable on curves and the like.

IOO

If desired, the lever N maybe actuated by a suitable mechanism similar to the driving mechanism of a bicycle by the passenger seated in the car. In open land-such as prairies-a sail projecting from the car may be used to great advantage.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. In an elevated road, the combination, with a series of posts, brackets projecting from the said posts, and a cable supported ou the said brackets, of grooved wheels mounted to travel on the top of the said cable,aframe carrying the said wheels, a rod projecting from the said frame downward in a vertical line to the said cable, a car hung on the said rod, a gear-Wheel secured on the shaft of one of the said grooved wheels, a spring-pressed pawl engaging the said gear-whcels7 a lever Lian/.1.52

fulcrumed loosely on the shaft of the said gear-Wheel and carrying the said pawl, and a bell-crank lever fulcrumed in the said car and connected with the said pawl-lever, substantially as shown and described.

2. In an elevated road, the combination, with a series of posts, brackets projecting from the said posts, and cables supported on the said brackets, of grooved wheels mounted to travel on the top of the said cable,aframc carrying the said wheels and provided at its ends with hooks, a rod projecting from the said frame below the said cable and in a vertical line with the latter, and a car supported on the said rod below the said cable, substantially as shown and described.

ELBERT I). XVILSON. lVitnesses:

G. W. WILLIAMS, JOHN T. REED. 

